


♡ pulse ♡

by IPutTheHotInPsychotic (lyrenoir)



Category: Vampire Knight (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Blood, Blood Drinking, Character Turned Into Vampire, F/M, Mild Gore, Vampire Bites, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-19
Updated: 2018-10-19
Packaged: 2019-08-04 11:49:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16346165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lyrenoir/pseuds/IPutTheHotInPsychotic
Summary: Yuki knows that she was in great debt to Kaname - but she never knew why she was so deadset in repaying him with herself. Once Zero's true thoughts on the matter are revealed, the schoolgirl is torn between her love  to the man to whom she owed her life and her loyalty to the boy she grew up alongside... Unfortunately to her, bloodshed lies on both sides.--"so tell me, do you have a pulse? do you even know...?" - pulse, icon for hire--(Hello! This occurs in a type of AU where Kaname and Yuki AREN'T revealed to be siblings. I shipped them quite a bit and was extremely disappointed at that plot twist. So, in order to keep my sanity and shut out my disgust, for the sake of this story, Kaname and Yuki will not have any kind of familial relation. Thank you for understanding! xoxo)---(Also! This story is rated mature, not for sexual content, but for gore and strong language. I don't know what is exactly considered strong language on here, but i just wanted to play it safe. There isn't flat out gore in my writing either, but because of the nature of the biting/drinking of blood I thought it would be considered graphic. If you want to stay away from this, stay safe! <3)





	♡ pulse ♡

Snow pounded down from outside.

Vicious white flakes flew from the sky, the wind tossing them about. Although the walls of Cross Academy were insulated and thick, the chill from outside still was able to creep in, seeping into the students bones. Although it was quite a beautiful scene outside, the fluttering of the white coming to lay rest on the ground, the gelid cold that it brought with it far outweighed the aesthetic pleasure.

Within the academy, Day Class students hurriedly ran from their classes to go into their dorms - abnormally, only a select few girls stayed outside, shivering, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Night Class students on the way to their classes. The students hurriedly headed into the building, leaving the fangirls behind.

A girl with a white band on her forearm quickly headed out of the building, her breath billowing white in the air. With quick motioned she ushered the rest of the remaining girls into the Sun Dormitory, wanting to get inside to the warmth of the heaters as soon as she could, and be able to get some rest. Behind her, a boy walked slower out from the doors, with a similar band on his arm. When he saw all the work was done that had to be done, he headed after her into the building.

With a quick glance at the empty courtyard, the girl furrowed her brow as she made her way inside. Trying to conceal her shivering in her school uniform, she rushed in and up the stairs as fast as she could to make it to the Headmaster's quarters. Seemingly not as eager, the boy followed her with heavy steps.

The girl huffed as she made her way up the last of the steps, turning to look at her fellow student. 

"That's odd, I thought the Night Class students would be willing to please their fans on such an unsavory day," she playfully scoffed, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. She narrowed her eyes at the boy. "Why do you look so sad? I mean, more than usual..."

The white-haired boy shook his head in response, pushing past her and opening the door. With a small shake of his head, he simply responded, "Classes." Without looking back, he added, "Don't act as if everything's going amazing, Yuki."

Rolling her eyes, the girl - Yuki - dragged herself into the house. Although it wasn't much warmer than the climate outside, it was still something. Breathing heavily, she shut the door behind her and tried to shake some of the snowflakes out of her hair. She itched to change out of her school uniform and into something that would actually keep her warm. 

She opened her mouth to ask the boy something when she realized that he had already gone to another part of the quarters. With a low sigh, she went to head to her own room before being interrupted by someone nearby. Before she could register who it was, the Headmaster burst out of the hall with a cheery grin on his face, holding a basket of bread in his hands.

"Yuki!" He exclaimed, setting the basket down, his smile never leaving. He looked around, his eyes bright. "Where's Zero? Are you guys going to go patrol later?"

Yuki shook her head, her arms still crossed. "Not tonight, Headma- Dad. There's a snowstorm outside!" She tugged the white band off of her arm and laid it on the table tentatively. Eying the bread in the basket, she gave a weak smile towards her adoptive father. "Are you making dinner tonight?"

"I was just starting!" The Headmaster seemed pleased with the question, and picked up the basket just to carry it over to the counter a few feet away. With his free hand, he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, as if he was concentrating on his every movement. Without looking up, he continued speaking to Yuki. 

"I'm probably going to need you and Zero's help, can you go get him?" He asked cheerily.

Yuki nodded eagerly. "Can I change first?" She joked. "I'm covered in snow."

"Oh!" The Headmaster jerked up, looking at her, as if he had forgot his two adoptive children had just been out in a heavy snowstorm while transitioning. "Of course! I won't need help until a few minutes anyways. Take your time."

With a smile, Yuki turned and opened the door, heading out of the Headmaster's quarters and towards her dorm. Lucky for her, her and Yori's room was only across the hallway, and she was grateful for the convenience. Thoughts flooded her mind and she sighed to herself as she pried open the door, wondering if her friend was inside or staying after-class.

He doesn't need me and Zero's help, she realized. He's just as worried about Zero and his increasing antisocial demeanor as I am. He just wants him to do something, and not be locked in his room by himself... Furrowing her brow, Yuki stepped into her room. To no particular surprise, Yori wasn't present.

"Probably stayed after class to make up that ethics assignment," Yuki sighed to herself. Shutting the door quickly, she crossed the room and immediately began to rustle through her drawers, digging through her extra uniforms to finally get to her winter clothes. Finally she came across a large Academy sweatshirt and a pair of leggings. 

Carefully taking them out of the drawers, she shut them and went to sit on her bed, which hadn't even been made from the morning. Although Yuki was usually a very put together student, she had been inflicted with the ability not to sleep for several days. Finally the drowsiness overcame her, and she found herself almost falling asleep in class on a daily basis. 

Attempting to shove these thoughts out of her mind, she forcefully shook her head and proceeded to change. Although the sweatshirt was a bit large, since her "father" had given it to her when she was younger, she was grateful for the protection it provided against the freezing chill that was coming through the slits in the window.

The window.

Subconsciously, without meaning to, Yuki turned her gaze towards the pane of glass. Outside, the snow continued to swirl in great patterns around the courtyard, spiraling around the trees and coming to land on the pavement. What was an innocent scene for most people who were aware of the weather, was anything but for the young student.

Suddenly, Yuki forced herself to rip her eyes away from the sight. The snowstorm, which shouldn't have affected her, pierced a memory she kept hidden in the back of her mind. Every time a snowflake drifted past her gaze, she couldn't help but be remembered of that bloody night where her life had began.

Blood spattered on snowdrifts, sticky and dark. Blood dripping down a boy's face and arms. That same boy's arm, dripping with crimson, reaching out to her. As a young child, the terrorizing situation had seemed more like a nightmare, but the maturity that Yuki had gained through her life at the Academy knew that such a situation had actually occurred.

And although the snow falling outside was just simply not the same snow that had fell on the night of her beginning, Yuki couldn't help but be reminded of her youthful helplessness and horror. Again, the memories flooded back to her, blood glistening in front of her eyes. Gasping, Yuki gripped the leggings in her hand tightly, shutting her eyes. Shutting everything out.

Her erratic breathing stilled as she forced that night out of her mind, even if it was only temporarily. Still keeping her eyes tightly shut, she fumbled with her skirt and managed to change quickly into the leggings. Throwing the skirt onto the bed, she stood up, turning away from the window that poisoned her with her past. Feeling her way forward, she grasped the door handle, escaping the dorm as quickly as she could.

Once the door was firmly shut behind her, the girl was finally able to open her eyes. She stood there, reflecting on her own reaction to the situation.

Always... always... Her heart pounded from the PTSD episode. The blood... and Kaname....

Beginning to tremble as the wintery scene re-entered her mind, Yuki fell against the door behind her, sliding down until she was in a sitting position. Raising her knees to her chest, she attempted to conceal her shaking, not wanting a fellow student to walk by and report her to the infirmary, or worse, the Headmaster.

Months ago, she had falsely promised that she had stopped having the terror-filled episodes so that he would stop worrying her and pestering her about it. He had a motherly demeanor, always wanting to know who was worried and why. Although Yuki knew that was a good thing, she didn't want to be fretted upon. From thereon, she had secretly promised to herself to hide any and all of her flashbacks from him. 

Yuki buried her head into her knees. Was it really for his benefit? She pondered. Or am I just that frightened....?

Before she could mull over the situation any more, she heard footsteps coming from the other side of the hall. Suddenly in a dazed panic, she forced herself into a standing position, pushing herself against the door in the effort to balance herself. Despite her efforts, her breathing was still shallow, and she pressed the sleeve of her sweatshirt against her mouth so that whoever was coming wouldn't notice.

To her surprise, the sound of the footsteps approached only to reveal themselves to be from Zero. The white haired-boy narrowed his eyes. Having grown up with her, he knew better to assume something was alright then it wasn't - also, he knew better then to question her. He sighed and leaned on the wall.

"Oh..." Yuki stated, panicked. "I-I didn't know it was you. Sorry. Uh, shouldn't you be back with Dad?" She questioned, finally having the courage to remove her sleeve from her face. "Sorry I didn't get to tell you, but he said he needs help cooking dinner, and I-"

"I know," drily responded Zero. "He thought you were just going to change and didn't know where you where, so he sent me to find you. He thought you'd wandered outside."

"Outside?" Inquired Yuki. "In the middle of a s-snowstorm?"

To Yuki's dismay, Zero noticed her stutter. "Yes," he replied, narrowing his eyes. "In the middle of a storm." With a deep sigh, and turned and started walking back towards the Headmaster's quarters. 

"You better come along," he called over his shoulder. "Or he'll set the kitchen on fire."

"Hey!" Yuki walked after him quickly, feeling defensive towards the man who had took both of them in. "The Headmaster's a really good cook. It's not our fault you just don't have a preference when it comes to food," she huffed. 

Zero shrugged and pushed open the door to the quarters, soon followed by Yuki, who had mostly calmed down from the earlier incident. She let the door shut behind her as she stumbled forward, almost slipping. She caught herself on the edge of the table, still slightly in a daze.

Without hesitance, the Headmaster whipped around, holding a piece of bread in his hand. His eyes sparkled at the sight of his adoptive daughter.

"Yuuuuki!" He cried, as Zero walked off to the other side of the kitchen to gather pots and whatever else they may need. "I didn't know if you were talking to your friends or went out to patrol on a whim. I need your cooking skills," he whined.

"No problem," giggled Yuki, feeling a little lighter. She walked over to look at the items scattered on the counter. "Are you making sandwiches again?"

"Didn't you like them last time?!" 

"Of course!" The girl nearly broke a sweat having a conversation with him. "I just thought you'd want to try something different." She sighed to herself and reached across the counter to grab a knife, so that she'd be able to slice the bread. 

Yuki didn't realize how hungry she was until she had finished cutting everything. Her stomach rumbled angrily at her, and suddenly a feeling of lightheadedness hit her from out of nowhere. Steadying herself on the counter, she gritted her teeth.

It's just a mix of hunger and the lack of sleep, she convinced herself. Shaking her head, she looked up from her food to glance at the rest of her family. 

"Dad, how many sandwiches do you want?" She asked.

"Oh, just one, dear. Thanks for asking!" The Headmaster smiled.

"What about you, Zero?" Yuki questioned. As she looked over at his repetitive, slow movements, she figured she already knew the answer.

And she was right. "Just one," Zero muttered in response.

Yuki sighed. "I'm gonna have two. I'm starving."

The rest of the day was spent in silence until it began to get dark outside - it didn't help that the sky was already previously darkened by the stormclouds. The Headmaster had shut the windows just in case they triggered Yuki. even after all these years. Zero and Yuki worked in silence, until all the food was done and put onto plates and set out on the table.

As Zero brushed his hands on his jeans, the Headmaster beamed approvingly, sitting down at the table almost instantly. 

"It's wonderful! I'm so proud of you!" His grin was seemingly eternal as he began eating.

Yuki chuckled and claimed a seat at the small table, set with four chairs just in case any guests showed up. The girl went to take a bite of the sandwiches they had made when she realized Zero was still standing up. She looked at him questioningly.

"Aren't you going to sit down?" She said, fret evident in her voice.

Zero shook his head, ignoring her and looking over to the Headmaster. "May I eat in my room, please?" He asked, his gaze piercing into that of the man who had raised him. Lately he had not been acting like himself, but merely, a shell of the personality he once exhibited.

The Headmaster seemed caught off guard by the request, but his expression didn't falter. Halfway through his sandwich, he simply nodded, and the white-haired boy turned on his heel and left.

Yuki stared at her food until she heard the last of his footsteps fade, and a door shut. Furrowing her gaze, she tried not to let it bother her, and wolfed down the rest of her first sandwich. She mulled over the second one for bit, before quickly devouring it, and looking up at her adoptive father with dull eyes. Something troubled her, but she couldn't quite put a finger on what it was.

Swallowing hard, she stood up, and the Headmaster cocked his head.

"Everything was awesome," Yuki beamed. "But can I go check on Zero? I want to see if he's not feeling well. We can transfer him to the infirmary and put off patrols for the next few nights," she suggested. Although, yes, she was concerned in that way, that still wasn't all that was on her mind. Her stomach rolled just thinking about what her course of action would be.

But the Headmaster didn't seem suspicious of anything. He stood up too, grabbing the empty plate from her hands and stacking it on top of his own. The brightness in his eyes seemed to have faded with the afternoon. "Of course! Get his plate if you could, would you?" He requested.

Yuki nodded and headed off with a fake smile, down the hall. As soon as she was sure the Headmaster couldn't see her face anymore, her face contorted to normal and she let out a long sigh. Stopping abruptly at the door, she hesitated before knocking once. When no reply came, she knocked twice.

"Zero...? Are you alright?" Yuki asked worriedly. Still, no response. With shaking hands, the girl tried not to assume the worst, and was already pressing down on the handle of the door. "I'm... I'm coming in. Don't tell me I have to send you off to the infirmary aga-"

Yuki's sentence was abruptly cut off as she entered the room, her eyes widening. Zero sat near the edge of the wall, leaning up against it, just boredly staring at his plate. But that was all commonplace. The most startling aspect of the scene... was his burning red eyes.

Yuki knew all too well that when a vampire's hunger hit, it was hard to control. Their breathing became staggered, and their eyes glowed a vicious crimson, the color of a human's blood. Suppressing a shiver, she closed the door behind her and quickly made her way over, kneeling down in an attempt to face him.

"Z-Zero!" She exclaimed, worry weaved into her voice. "Why didn't you tell me? I know it's been so long since y-you last fed, but I didn't-" Her sentence broke off as she looked down at the ground, angry with herself. "I knew I should have offered, but I just thought you were...." She trailed off. She didn't know why she was trying to make excuses.

In simple response, Zero just shook his head. Although he had been off all day, he had been able to restrain himself, not to let his hunger show. Now, it was burning in his gaze, as if it was taking over him. He had feigned alright for so long, restricting himself from accessing the one thing he needed most - blood. And he knew that it would overcome him, eventually.

He's trying so hard to pretend the vampire side of him doesn't exist.... Yuki anxiously thought. She couldn't bear to look at him in such a pitiful state any longer. Steeling her nerves as she had done so many times before, in silence, she tugged on the collar of her sweatshirt, revealing her neck.

Digging his nails into the ground, Zero just shook his head more forcibly. Gritting his teeth, he attempted to jump up and turn away from her, but Yuki stood up and stepped in front of him, right in his line of vision. His gaze flashed a brighter shade of red, as if becoming more intense by the second.

Yuki's voice was hoarse as she spoke. "Please," she begged Zero. "You promised you'd drink when you needed to. And I don't want to watch you like this any longer..." She couldn't help but remember when he said that he'd never degenerate. But now, all the fears flooded back to her. She stood up straight, taking a step nearer towards Zero, who was seeming to falter. 

"Please," Yuki repeated. Zero hesitated for a couple of moments, as if he was deciding to follow his mind or his instinct - his vampire instinct. As usual, it just took over him, as if he was finally relinquishing his control to his hunger. As if he was a whole different person, his breathing became more ragged, and he slammed Yuki into the wall.

"Damn it, Yuki," Zero muttered, as if the real, human side of him was trying to break through for just a few moments. When the brief resurfacing faded, he shook his head, returning to his previous state. His eyes once again burning, Yuki held her breath as Zero dragged his tongue across her neck, marking out the place where he would feed. Soon enough, the sharp piercing of two fangs afflicted Yuki.

The girl suppressed a gasp, having been used to the process of feeding by now. Zero's breath was ragged as he let the blood slide down his throat. Crimson drops spattered down Yuki's neck, nearly staining her sweatshirt. Pressing herself up against the wall as much as she could, she tried to numb the pain as she felt the blood being slowly sucked out of her.

Lightheadedness fell over her in a thin veil, as usual. As the drinking became rhythmic, she closed her eyes, trying to shut it out, since everything began to spin. Just as she was about to struggle, she felt Zero remove his fangs and retreat.

Trying to regain the majority of her consciousness, Yuki reached up and felt the puncture wounds on her neck. Letting out a sigh, she reached into her pocket, where she regularly kept neck bandages so that her classmates wouldn't be suspicious of the bites. Tentatively tearing the paper off of one of them, she wrapped it around her neck, using the black sleeve of her sweatshirt to clean the rest of the blood away. To her relief, it didn't stain.

When she looked up again, she saw that Zero was facing slightly away from her, but his eyes were back to their normal color. She made sure her bandage was secure and the blood was fully gone before she regained her composure, taking a few steps forward. 

"Are you alright?" She asked, her voice quiet.

It took Zero a few moments to respond. Disgust flashed across his face as he realized how much blood he had taken from her. Scowling, he nodded, turning away and walking across the room. "Yes. You should go," he choked out, signaling that he wanted Yuki to leave immediately.

Yuki frowned, but she knew better then to argue with him. As she exited, a flurry of thoughts flooded her mind. Zero took more blood every time he fed from her. He seemed more and more horrified every single time he did. Yuki was physically and mentally pained by the process, but she knew that if she didn't let him feed he might degenerate... to a Level E.

A monster, in human flesh. Red eyes, uncontrollable rage, fierce claws, and a disintegrated mind and heart. A true, full formed vampire.

And as Yuki shut the door behind her, only one thing was clear.

There was no way in hell she was ever going to let that happen.


End file.
